Oddjob

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

In the 1959 novel, Oddjob is a Korean man whose real name remains unknown, with Goldfinger assigning him his title based on duties. He stands over six feet tall, described as squat with 'arms like thighs,' black teeth, and a 'sickly zoo-smell.' His striking power comes from extensive training that develops tough calluses on his hands and feet, allowing him to break thick oak railings and shatter mantels. The novel notes he practiced taekwondo and hapkido in Korea before earning a karate black belt in Japan, reflecting his hatred of being mistaken for Japanese due to the 1910–1945 occupation. He enjoys eating cats, a taste acquired during a Korean famine, and possesses a cleft palate that renders his speech unintelligible except to Goldfinger. His duties include guarding, chauffeuring, and manservant work, but notably not golf caddying as depicted in the film.

In Their Own Story

The film opens with Oddjob silhouetted against a wall at the Fontainebleau Hotel, knocking James Bond unconscious before Jill Masterson is killed by 'skin suffocation' via gold paint. At a golf match with Goldfinger, Oddjob speaks his first line: 'Aha!' after finding a missing ball. Later, he kills Tilly Masterson by breaking her neck with his hat, instructing his men to dispose of the body with an 'Ah! Ah!' During the Fort Knox climax, he orders Bond into a gas mask with another 'Ah!', then yells a final 'Arrgh!' when electrocuted. Oddjob crushes a golf ball with one hand and barely flinches after being struck by a gold bar or wooden club. He kills fellow henchman Kisch to prevent bomb disarmament, smiling broadly until Bond uses the hat against him. When the hat sticks to metal bars, Bond touches them with an electric cable, electrocuting Oddjob—a moment Bond later describes as 'he blew a fuse.'

Reader's Guide

Oddjob's defining trait is his razor-edged bowler hat, made by Lock & Co. with an inserted chakram for flight. In the film, it decapitates stone statues and breaks necks, though MythBusters later deemed this capability 'Busted.' He acts as Goldfinger's chauffeur, bodyguard, and golf caddy, displaying fanatical loyalty even in Fort Knox's nuclear explosion. His physical resilience is extreme; he survives impacts that would fell others, yet remains vulnerable to electrical shocks when his hat interacts with metal. For opponents like Bond, the strategy involves using the environment—such as cutting cables or deflecting hats—to exploit his one weakness: electricity. In other media, Oddjob appears in 'James Bond Jr.' with a top hat and hip-hop attire, surviving electrocution via unconsciousness, while video games like 'GoldenEye: Rogue Agent' show him killed by being tossed into a pit.

Did You Know?

• Oddjob speaks only four times in the 1964 film, saying 'Aha!', 'Ah! Ah!', 'Ah!', and a final 'Arrgh!'
• In the novel, Oddjob eats cats, a habit acquired during a famine in his youth.
• The prop hat sold for £62,000 at Christie's in 1998, equivalent to £120,300 in 2025.
• MythBusters tested the hat's decapitation claim and labeled it 'Busted'.
• Oddjob's electrocution death in the film inspired Bond's remark: 'he blew a fuse'.